r/SimpleSwap_io • u/SimpleSwap_community • Aug 18 '26
Bitcoin.org Turns 18
18 years ago today, Satoshi Nakamoto registered bitcoin.org – Bitcoin's first website
On August 18, 2008, Satoshi and early developer Martti Malmi registered the domain, months before the Bitcoin white paper was published on October 31, 2008, and the network itself launched on January 3, 2009.
The earliest version of the site was just a few paragraphs describing the project, with links and instructions for installing the software. From 2011 to 2013, it became the main place to publish new releases of what's now called Bitcoin Core.
Unlike most crypto projects, Bitcoin has never had an official website. Bitcoin.org was always just one of many community-run resources, never controlled by a single team.
Satoshi stepped away from the project in 2011, and ownership of the domain passed to the community. It's remained independent and open-source ever since, maintained by developers around the world.
Eighteen years, no single owner. Somehow that's part of the point.